Last day of summer vacation

It was Friday. The last Friday before school would start. It had been raining off and on all week long so there went our trip to the lake (no boat and there is no way the grass had been mowed). No spraypark - they (the children) didn't want to go. But, MMMMOOOOOMMMMMM what are we going to do on the last day of summer?????? They wailed.

So, we went to my dad's house - Sir, as all the grandkids call him. He still lives in the house we grew up in. He was taking it easy on this quiet Friday. So, we visited for a short while and we decided to go to the park. After all, we can walk to Sir's park. (We live in the sort of country and can't walk to the park). So, off we went to the park. We walked past the swingset and playplace and ran down the hill to jump the creek - just like when I was a kid. We went to the amphitheatre and climbed the surrounding walls and sat in the "watchtowers" (the tops of the wall corners). We climbed trees to get down and walked along the rock walls around to the back and jumped off. We talked about the games I played there as a girl. There is a dolphin statue at the park that has water spraying on it and is there to be played and climbed on. We took off our shoes and ran into the water and onto the dolphin in our clothes - just like when I was a kid. I shared stories of coming to play in the dolphin with my sister and our best friends. We climbed some more trees and went back down to the creek. The creek has rock walls on either side and runs through the town getting wider in places and narrower in others. I jumped down into the creek and told the kids to come on and follow me. They did. We went through the tunnel under the creek with me passing on stories of how we did this when we were little and would stop under the sidewalk and yell when people would walk over us. We climbed out on the other side and climbed back up to the street - just like when I was a kid.

We walked back past Sir's house and up the very long hill to the church that I grew up in. We found an open door and I took them inside. I showed them the sanctuary I was baptized in. I told them stories of going to church and sitting in the balconey. We went up to look. I told them stories of singing in the choir and going to lock-ins and climbing up the ladder into the steeple. We walked through the church and I showed them the music room and we check to see if the elevator worked - just like when I was a kid.

We left the church and went around the corner to the school I had attended. It is no longer a "real" school but only houses the gifted program for the elementary students. As we walked past the playground I told them about playing kickball and hopskotch and racing and playing basketball. We walked down the sidewalk and they walked up the grass hill - just like when I was a kid. We walked around front and walked in the door and we were met by a lady asking if we needed any help. I explained to her that I had gone to school there and wondered if I could take my kids on a tour. She asked when I had been there and I told her @ the time. She asked me the name of my 6th grade teachers. I told her - Mrs. Martha Brush, Mrs. Betty Cox, Mrs. Nelson and Mrs. Cooper. She smiled and said "I am Mrs. Cooper" Wow! that was amazing! What was even more amazing was that was the only year she taught at Gary and had just returned the year before. She said for us to feel free to wander and introduced me to a few of her colleagues.

We walked through the school with me sharing stories, answering questions, showing them my old classrooms, cafeteria and auditorium (the auditorium still has the same wooden seats!) We finally walked out and down the steep ramps to the street - just like when I was a kid. Okay, so I usually ran down them.

We walked back to my dad's house and headed down the road. We stopped at the store and bought ice cream and chocolate sauce and waffle cones and came home and ate sortof sundaes.

All in all, it was a very good day. And I got to act just like when I was a kid.